BREAKING: Russian fighter jet which brushed past Britain CRASHES

A RUSSIAN fighter jet has crashed into the sea near the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which was part of a fleet of vessels that skirted the UK shoreline en route to the Mediterranean last month.

One of three MiG-29 fighter jets that had left the carrier for a mission over Syria ditched into the sea soon after take off.

The flagship of the Russian Navy, the Admiral Kuznetsov leads a fleet positioned in the eastern Mediterranean, which has been conducting reconnaissance missions over Syria since arriving in mid-October. Russia’s only aircraft carrier is the base for over 20 fighter jets, which have supplemented a similar-sized air force contingent at a land base in Khmeimim, outside Latakia.

The forces are in the region at the invitation of President Bashar Assad, who requested Russia’s aid over a year ago.